Details emerge about new Liberty State Park marina

JERSEY CITY — A new, privately operated marina would stretch for nearly a mile along the waterfront inside Liberty State Park, with the marina operator leasing 45 acres on the southern end of the state-owned park, including two public parking lots and all three jetties, newly released documents show.

The documents show the state would also permit the marina operator, Suntex Marinas, to open a public restaurant or office on the southern end of the park, which overlooks the Statue of Liberty. On the park's north end, Suntex runs Liberty Landing Marina, which would expand by 10 acres as part of the plan under consideration by the state Department of Environmental Protection, which operates Liberty State Park.

The documents, a proposed amended lease between Suntex and the DEP, were released pursuant to a public-records request by Sam Pesin, president of Friends of Liberty State Park. Pesin also received two renderings that show how the plan would transform the quiet southern end of the park into a bustling marina home to over 300 boats. The lease would run for 25 years, and Suntex would have the option to extend for another 25 years.

The soft-spoken Pesin uttered a profanity when he looked at the renderings while speaking with The Jersey Journal.

Pesin and Greg Remaud, deputy director of environmental group NY/NJ Baykeeper, first sounded the alarm about the marina plan last month, before the DEP confirmed any details about the proposal. They do not want a commercial enterprise on that side of the park.

“This plan is a corporate takeover and ruination of the priceless public space behind Lady Liberty,” Pesin said. “The plan is a war on the quality of life of the urban people and the meaning and purpose of the park for all who visit.”

Pesin has clashed with the state before when it has proposed plans to add private development to the 1,200-acre park. Pesin's father, Morris, was a councilman who campaigned for the creation of Liberty State Park.

The state has argued that private leases would help generate revenue for the park, which costs $3.5 million annually to run and brings in about $1.5 million.

DEP spokesman Robert Geist noted that the park land affected by the proposed lease amounts to a minimal percentage of Liberty State Park's total acreage. The jetties, Geist said, are "wrecks" that "do not offer any real benefit to visitors."

“Liberty State Park offers spectacular views of the New York City skyline and provides a wide range of opportunities for public access to and enjoyment of the Hudson River,” he said in an email. “DEP is committed to ensuring the long-term sustainability of Liberty State Park and all the parks in the state park system.”

marina04.JPG

The location of a proposed new marina in Liberty State Park (inset: where the marina would be in relation to the rest of the park). Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal

It’s not clear whether the plan would be approved in the final weeks of Gov. Chris Christie’s administration or after Jan. 16, when Gov.-elect Phil Murphy succeeds Christie. The lease documents, dated Nov. 30, give Suntex 20 days to agree to the terms. The parties would then have 30 days to come to an agreement. Suntex would be required to host a public information session at the park within those 30 days.

After that session, Geist said, the proposed lease would be the subject of DEP review, two public hearings and approval of the State House Commission.

A request for comment from Murphy's transition team was not returned.

Suntex would pay $900,000 in annual rent to the state for the first three years, an amount that increases by between $150,000 and $250,000 every year, according to the terms of the proposed lease.

The lease documents indicate Suntex would have to take charge of bulkhead repair that the DEP says could cost the state up to $43 million. The lease would allow Suntex to pay reduced rent in exchange for paying up to $25 million for bulkhead replacement and repair.

“At the end of the day, this arrangement would address a critical problem at the park while saving taxpayers tens of millions of dollars, the estimated cost of the bulkhead repair project,” Geist said. “Moreover, additional rent revenues to the state would be generated if the proposed expansions would be approved.”

cruisegrad18.JPG

Suntex also operates Liberty Landing Marina on the north end of Liberty State Park. Michael Dempsey | The Jersey Journal

In a statement provided by Suntex last week, Ron TenEyck, the company's senior vice president, defended the south marina plan, saying it would “in no way hinder” views on that end of the park and would “beautify the area.”

“As part of the proposed marina, Suntex has extensive plans to rehabilitate what has become a neglected section of the park,” TenEyck said in a statement. “Those plans include a children’s sailing school, replacement of the public boat launch, a fishing pier, a boat club and other amenities that will be available to the public.”

Remaud and Pesin insist that the state's plan is a privatization push that must be stopped.

"The views there would no longer be free and unfettered," Remaud said. "It would no longer be a free south side."

LSPmarinamap1.jpg

The yellow dots in this map show where Suntex would like to create a marina in Liberty State Park. The park's Flag Plaza is on the right.